Can opener



July 30, 1935. A. KRONQUEST CAN OPENER Filed Oct. 1, 1934 Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATES" PATENT "oi-Pica 1 CAN OPENER Alfred L. Kronquest, Syracuse, N. Y., asaignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 1, 1934, Serial No. 146,448

1 Claim. 164-119) The invention relates to a can opener and more particularly to a device for forming a dispensing opening in a can through which oil or like fluid substances may be dispensed.

An object of the invention is to provide a can opener of the above type for forming a dispensing opening in the end of a can adjacent the double seam therein, which opener can be cheaply made from a strip of metal by the bending and shaping of the same.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of the improved can opener showing the piercing point forced through the end of a can forming a dispensing opening therein.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the opener. Figure 3 is a plan view of a can after a dispensing opening has been formed therein, showing the location of the opening adjacent the double seam.

The invention relates to a can opener for forming a. dispensing opening ina can. The opener is formed from a strip of metal bent intermediate its ends to form a loop which may be grasped by the hand. One of said-ends is bent along a central line to form a V-shaped cutting blade and terminates in a piercing point centrally of the end thereof. The metal in the region of the piercing point is beveled off at a sharp angle to 30 form cutting edges which extend upwardly to the outer edges of the blade. The other end of said strip is rigidly attached to the end on which the cutting blade is formed at a point above the piercing point and the cutting edges. This end is offset from the blade end and is spaced uniformly therefrom at a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the double seam of a can and extends beneath the piercing, point on the end having the cutting edges. When the can opener thus formed is forced through the end of a'can, a dispensing opening is formed therein adjacent the double seam.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the improved can opener is formed from a strip of metal which is bent intermediate its ends to form a loop which maybe grasped by the hand. The loop is indicated ,at l in the drawing and the ends at 2 and 3 respectively. The ends are attached to each other by a suitable rivet 4 situated at the termination of the loop, and the portions of the ends which extend beyond the point of attachment are uniformly spaced one from another.

In Figure 1 of the drawing a container is diagrammatically shown having a body portion 5 and an end So attached thereto by a double seam 5b in the usual manner. The ends 2 and l of the opener are uniformly spaced substantially the width of the double seam 5b as may be readily seen. The end 3 is bent along a central line to form a V-shaped cutting blade 6 which terminates in a piercing point i, centrally of the end thereof. The metal in the region of the piercing point is beveled off at a sharp angle to form cutting edges 8 and 9 which extend upwardly to the 10 outer edges of the blade 8 as indicated at In and H in the drawing.

The other end 2 of the strip is oifset from the end 3 as indicated at H in the drawing and is uniformly spaced therefrom and extends down- 15 wardly to a point beyond the piercing point and cutting edges of the end 3. This end forms a guide for the end having the blade formed therein and as the piercing point and cutting edges are forced into the top of the can, the end 2 so will follow along the outside of the double seam and hold the opener. in perpendicular alignment with the can. As'the opener is forced into the can, the metal displaced in forming the opening therein will curl backwardly as indicated at l3 :5 in the drawing, and when the opener is removed,

a large clear opening will be formed in the end adjacent the double seam.

In Figure 2 of the drawing, the end 2 is shown cut away at one side thereof to form a lifter for 30 opening bottles. This feature, however, is not important and the end 2 may or may not be provided with this bottle opening feature.

. From the above it will be apparent that an opener has been devised which is simple in con- 35 struction and cheap to manufacture. The opener is sufliciently rigid and the piercing point and cutting bladesare so shaped as to be easily forced into the end of a can byhand. The metal displaced by the opener will be cut along diverg- 4o ing lines and turned back upon itself into the interior of the can and, when the opening is completely formed, it will be adequate for dispensing all of the contents of the can. The particular advantage of an opener of this type is that it 45 will form a dispensing opening adjacent the double seam so that there will be no ledge of metal left to act as a trap for the contents of the container as it is emptied. when oil is packed in containers of predetermined quantity such as 50 quart sizes, etc., and sold at filling stations, it

is exceedingly important to provide a tool which will open the container in such a manner as to provide the customer with his full measure of oil.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details 55 01 construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit oi. the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettersstrip being oflset from the blade and extending beneath the piercing point, said oii'set portion being spaced uniformly from the blade and at a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the double seam of a can, whereby said oflset portion may be placed against the outer wall or the can and guide the piercing point so that the can end will be penetrated adjacent the inner face of the double seam and out along lines diverging irom each other and extending inwardly from the double seam, said cutting blade operating to roll downwardly and inwardly the portion of the metal between the diverging lines of cutting for forming a relatively largedispensing opening.

ALFRED L. KRONQUES'I'. 

